This is the next post in a series of articles discussing the importance of establishing paternity in Las Vegas, Nevada. The previous article in this series discussed the issues of back child support and compensatory visitation once paternity has been established. It is important to understand how these elements may factor into your paternity and custody case. Once a father’s paternity has been established, the court will hold a hearing to establish a permanent support and custody arrangement. The court will require the parties to present evidence in support of their positions. In this article I will discuss the importance of the discovery process to gather the relevant evidence for the hearing. If you need assistance, contact my office today to speak with a fathers’ rights lawyer.
Discovery is a process which allows for the collection of information from the opposing side in a child custody proceeding. I previously discussed the use of discovery in child custody cases generally. Discovery may also be useful to a father once he establishes paternity and is requesting a permanent custody order. In particular, if there are questions about whether the mother’s ability to care for the child or the mother’s finances in a support dispute, discovery will be a key tool in gathering objective evidence about the case. A father’s rights lawyer has many different options for collecting evidence. Interrogatories are written questions that require the opposing party to provide written answers. Depositions record oral testimony of witnesses taken under oath, in front of a court reporter. Requests for production may be issued to the opposing side requiring them to produce documents, records, and other physical items.
Consider the following example. If dad suspects that mom is abusing illegal drugs around the child and seeks custody of the child, his attorney may conduct depositions of neighbors and other witnesses. If witnesses provide sworn testimony about mom’s drug use and the child’s exposure to dangerous activity, this information would be important at the hearing. Dad’s lawyer would likely also request any police reports to see if there are any arrests in which mom was buying, using, or carrying drugs. Additionally, a deposition might be held to question her employer about any failed drug tests or suspicions of drug use while on the job. This information would then be presented to a judge as evidence in support of dad’s request for custody.
As a Las Vegas fathers’ rights lawyer, I regularly assist dads who wish to exercise their parental rights after establishing paternity. I pride myself on providing the highest levels of service and my office is ready to assist you. Contact my office today to speak to an attorney.